Author: Florian

Cover image for an article on the McKinsey AI Interview, showing a robotic hand reaching toward a network of digital nodes, with the title “The McKinsey AI Interview” and the StrategyCase.com logo.

McKinsey AI Interview: What It Is, How It Works, and What It Really Means for Candidates

McKinsey & Company is quietly piloting a new interview component that reflects a deeper shift in how consulting work is done: the McKinsey AI Interview. Based on recent feedback from my MBA coaching clients in the U.S., candidates in select U.S. offices are now being asked to collaborate live with McKinsey’s internal AI platform, Lilli,…
Read more

“Yellow dart hitting close to the bullseye on a black-and-white target, symbolizing precision and the difference between success and failure in case interview preparation.

Why Some Candidates Get MBB Offers — And Others Don’t

The Hidden Difference Between Success and Failure Case interviews don’t reward hours logged. They reward how you prepare, how you think, and how deliberately you build the skills firms actually test. Every season, you’ll find two candidates who both grind through their case prep, read the same books, and block out the same study hours.…
Read more

Best Case Interview Books Ranked (2026 Edition)

What’s Worth Reading and What’s Holding You Back Every year, tens of thousands of candidates begin their consulting interview preparation the same way by going to Amazon and ordering a case interview prep book. It feels like the obvious starting point. I’ve been there and done that. But that’s also where the problems begin. Again,…
Read more

When Preparation Misses the Mark: The Gap Between Applicants and Consulting Firms

As a former McKinsey consultant and now a career coach, I have prepared hundreds of candidates for their consulting interviews in recent years and run through more than 2,000 practice cases. I have been closely observing the consulting market since 2013 and, in particular, the recruiting machinery of the top firms: first as a candidate…
Read more

the image shows a confident woman with a thumbs up for an article on case interview confidence and mindset

Bluffing with Style: The Case Interview Mindset You Need

Smart but Shaky Most candidates walk into their case interviews armed to the teeth: cases drilled, math shortcuts memorized, every Victor Cheng quote tattooed on their brain. And then the interview starts. Suddenly, all that prep turns into polite hesitation: “Uh, maybe we could… possibly… look at market share?” The voice drops, the eyes search…
Read more